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Bulletin No, 60 M M LEIGHTON I2NUsry L5 1923, 


COMMONWEALTH OF FONNSYDVANTA 


OR ks nee, CD ames mane open Ne renee mee gua > cer gunna tats So 


DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL .PRLIRS 
Janes BF. Woodward, Secretary 


ne ee nt te ee rte 


BURE,.U OF POPOG:. PHIC wD CEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
George H, .shley, State Geologist. 





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GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE OF THE PITTSBURGH QUADRANGLE, Pa. 


M, E,. Johnson 


fhe Pittsburgh quadrangle is nemed softer the city of Pittsburgh 

Which, with its suburbs, covers the northwest quarter O2 the 2rer, 

The quadranele is oblong in share, 13% miles wide and 174 miles long, 
With 2 total ares of about 227 square miles The Mononshe la “and 
Youghioghenv rivers meet about at the mi adle of the quadrangle, and 
the Monong: hela and Allegheny at Pittsburgh, The tovn of Elizabeth 

is 1] miles north of the southern boundery of the quidrangle; Trafford 
City nesrly bisects the ecstern bound?ryv. 


The quadrangle i's thickly nee ulated and: transportation fnrcilities 
Oreve.celleént, River boats, good roads, trélitey lines end roilrosds, 
all help in the movement of. prssensers and freight, 


whe Tield work necessary for the preprration of a geolo 
Structure sheet and other maps, was done in the summer and f “11 of 
Pees end Loe e Much of the struetuz e in the southwestern holf of 
quadrangle is “baigead on mine levels anc pline-t>oble work, The 
Structure in the northeastern hn-lf is based chiefly on brirometric ond 
hond+level elevations. ‘These lntter were checlted 2% short intervals 
against knovm elevations, snd it.is believed thit tne structure is 
everywhere correct within the contour intervol used, 


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In 2 general woy, the geologic structure of the Pittsburgh quad- 
engle is like that of the greater prirt of western Pennsylvanian. The 
rocks have been folded in such 2 way th7t the mojor cwnticlines cna 
Synclines hive 2 northeast-southwest trend, Womed in order trom 
northwest to sgh bud icampubel these structures are: Menurry syncline, amity 
enuicline, Duquesne syneline, and Murrysville mnticline, i. description 
of them follows, 


Micghurry syn neline. + broad gentle trough at the herd-waters of 
Lick Run fone mile north of Broughton) has » branching axis. The min 


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branch of this syncline extends north through Carrick and the city of 
Pittsburgh, Just north of the U. 5. .rsenal pronerty the axis veers 
to the erst alonz the south bank of Allegheny River ind the syneline 
broadens and rises rather sharply,losing its identity.beyond Aspinwall. 
. Minor branch of the syncline e-tends through ‘/illock toward Hays and 
about follows the course of streets Run, The Pittsburgh coal is well 
benerth the surface nerr Broushton (elevation 870 feet where the azis 
of the syncline crosses the western boundary of the qundrangle) but 

the rise in the structure soon brings the coal to the surface end in 
downtown Pittsburgh it occurs only in the high hills, 


Amity 4nticline. The axis of the amity anticline crosses the 
beat | bound ry of the quadrangle two miles west of Snowdon 2nd 
“tends (with many bends) through Wallsce, Homesteod and Edgewood to 
be cus, South of Hays the anticline undulates , several domes occurring 
along the crest, North of Hays the crest rises and bevond i/hite ish 
(now erlled Sendy Creek) this rise is quite rapid. The anticline is 
far from strright and has miny kinks and minor folds along its flanks, 
It is not so pronounced o structure as the Murrysville anticline to 
the east. 


Duquesne Syncline. This syncline takes its name from the city 
of Duquesne t through which it nasses, Its southern end is in the 
Brownsville nundrengle on the south, The aztis of the syncline crosses 
the southern boundary 1-3/4 miles east of Gastonville; crosses Peters 
Creek about three-fourths of a mile east of the mouth of Lick nun; 
touches the west side of Monongahels River 2% Camden; passes through 
Duquesne, Turtle Creek and Trestle (now called Center), and crosses 
the eastern boundary of the quadrangle xbout one mile northeast or the 
last-named village. The syneline has a fairly uniform pitch to the 
south and lowers the Sivyssisoh coal from an altitude of 1200 feet at 
New Tex1s to 780 feet at the southern boundary. At Turtle Creek the 
Gain Structure branches, minor folds extendinz to the e2st, north ena 
northwest. a narrow trouch 25 feet deep in the syncline west cf Corl 
Valley is apparentiv of local. occurrence only. Between Dravosburg 
and Hast Pittsburgh the pitch of the syncline is very low and 
probably this flattening of the structure caused the accumulation cf 
small pools of gas at McKeesport and Iast Pittsburgh, At Linhert nc 
to the north, 2 prominent nose in the structure very lixely 2ccounts 
for the small oil pool near that village. A Similar but less prominent 
nose in the structure east of Turtle Creek e-:plains the presence ot 
Oil in wells sunk on the Boyd farm (e2st of Turtle Creex and north 
of Wilmerding). 


Musrysv ville anvieline. This anticline is the most pronounced 
Structural feature in the quadranzle. It rises rapidly towards the 
northeast and raises the Pittsburgh coal from an altitude of 875 feet 
at the southern boundary of the cuadranzle, *0 1200 feet at Verszilles. 
Here the pitch becomes much more gentle and this flattening of the 
structure probably csused the large accumulation of gas in the shneech- 
ley sand at Versailles. The anticline e:tencs almost due northeast 
beyond Versailles, -the accis erossins the eastern boundary of the cuac- 
rangle one mile south of Trafford City. Here the horizon of the 
eaten coal (the coal has been eroded) is 1280 feet above’ sea- 

evel. 


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southerst of Xobbins St-tion and Buena Vistn the structure is 
comparatively flat, 2 deep and morrow trough nerr Cowsansbure being 
the only pronounced feature, A Similar but less prominent trough 
crosses the southern boundary of the cuadrangle rbout two miles west 
of scott Haven and extends in 2 northwest direction towards Wiley Run. 


INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURS IN THE 
ACCUMULATION OF OTL AND GAS 
ADVICE ON LOC..TION OF PUTURE WELLS. 


If the senerrlly rccepted theory of the origin of oil and gas be 
taken as correct, it is ensy to understend how,. when the tiny glob- 
ules of oil, g2s and water migrated up the dip of the sondstone beds, 
the gas would tend to occupy the hizchest parts of the structures 
encountered, while the oil would be found farther down, Thus, in the 
long migration up the Duauesne syncline, the ges would tend to work 
up the flanks of the adjecent anticiines till they reached 2 lodging 
point near the top of those structures, while the oil would be pushed 
ahend of the water until it was either tr-poed by some structure such 
as that at Linhart, or else until 2 point of equilibrium was reached 
where the water no longer moved up structure, The 1175 and 1225 foot 
structure contour lines seem to renresent srbout the top of the worter 
"drive" up the Duquesne synciine. Nearly 2.11 of the producing oil 
wells in this and the Greensburg quedrangle to the east lie within 
the area enclosed between these structure contour lines, 


If the nbove explanation be correct, then there is little 
prospect of finding any more oil pools in the Duquesne syncline. The 
seéirch for 2 further supply of oil should be concentrated in the 

sm2il areas as yet untested between the above mentioned structure 
tines in this and the Greensburg quadrangle, Personally, the author 
feels that . further search for oil in the Duquesne syncline would not 
be © very profitable undertaking, 


Chances of finding oil in the McMurry syncline are even slimmer 
than of finding new pools in the Duquesne svyneline. The Melfurry syn- 
Cline is 2 smaller and weaker structure, and it is believed that any 
Oil which might exist in the Hundred Foot or Speechley sands (the two 
oil-producing sands in the Duquesne syncline) would be so scxttered 
that its commercial e::traction would be imyossible. To recapitulnte, 
conditions 2re unfavorable for (1) the presence of much oil in the 
sands, (2) the accumulation of that oil in pools. 


The outlook for further gas production is more fcvoreble. The 
aren north of Allegheny Hiver (and within the confines of the quad- 
rangle) is considered as unfevornble. Between the AlLlegheny ad 
Monongahels Rivers and north of Turtle Creek there sre several areas 
Where small production might be obtained. WVhe junction of Dufir's hun 
and Chalfant Run is a favorable looking spot, but there would not be 
room for more than one or two wells, nother are2 wnere small pro- 
duction might be obtained is near the intersection of Rebecen Street 


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and ..rdmore Boulevord (Lincoln Highway), Just erst of where SZeechwood 
Boulevird crosses’ Forbes Street there is cnother promising structure, 


Between Turtle Creek cnd Youghio¢heny River the fround hrs been 
B80 thoroughly: drilled thrt practicnlly every type of structure, 
Zavorable or unfavorable, has been tested, Similarly, 1.11 of the more 
E£1.voreble ground between the Youghiogheny and Monongrheln Rivers hss 
alrexdy been thoroughly tested, 


West of the Monongahel2 there is still a little land untested but 
most of the more favoroble territory hos been drilled nd has been 
producing gas for years. The cross-ronrds about 3/4 of 2 mile west- 
northwest of New fnglond is the center of 2. smill dome 6nly partly 
tested, Farther north (about 2¢ miles) there is room on the Jxcob 
Miller and Jns. Hayes Estate for sever.l wells, Just over the western 
edee of the quodrongle and 24 miles south of Allegheny River there is 
~. favorable structure which to the knowledge of the suthor has not 
yet been tested, 


To sum up then, there is little chance of finding other oil pools 
in the Pittsburgh quadrongle and little prospect of discovering any 
more large g2s pools, There is, however, 2 fir opportunity of 
extending some of the present gas pools and of discovering smell gas 
pools in 1 few 2rens 28 yet untested, 


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PITTSBURGH QUADRANGLE + GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE SHEET 
Strueture contours on Pittsburgh coal. 


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RATE age Bt  Daaite 3 
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